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On House Floor, Higgins Says that Best Tax Policy Puts Lost Taxpayers Back to Work

Aug 2, 2012

Press Release

Congressman Brian Higgins took to the House Floor to highlight the consequences of Congressional dysfunction on our economic recovery. According to Higgins, Congress’ failure to reach a compromise on a balanced approach to reduce the debt and weak attempts at job creation stifles our economy and has caused Americans to lose confidence in Congress.

Higgins has introduced H.R. 4352, the Nation Building Here at Home Act, which calls for a $1.2 trillion investment in U.S. infrastructure over the next 5 years and would have the potential to create 27 million jobs, add $400 billion to the economy, and drop the unemployment rate to 5.6%.

Our economic problems are eminently solvable. They just require a confidence in the American people. But the American people have lost confidence in Congress and it is easy to see why.

Exhibit A: The inability to reach a deal on a grand bargain on debt reduction.

Last year, the Speaker and the President negotiated a plan to reduce the debt by $4 trillion through a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases. Revenues that would come not from raising taxes, but closing special deals – institutionalized corruption.

That plan represented a balanced and bipartisan approach. The economy today would be performing much better had that deal been enacted. But the Tea Party-controlled Republican House rejected the deal.

Exhibit B: The refusal to act boldly to create jobs and rebuild the infrastructure of America.

We just spent $89 billion rebuilding the roads of Afghanistan. Last week, we passed a bill to spend just $52 billion a year in rebuilding roads and bridges right here in America. That is weak plan, in fact it’s pathetically weak.

This is why the American people have lost confidence in Congress.

The best tax policy is to invest in America and the American people and to bring lost taxpayers back to work.